The present invention relates to a studded or dimpled membrane for the protection of buildings, and to a seal manufactured using the studded membrane.
The present invention refers to a studded membrane having studs on the front surface suitable to support a filter fleece. The studded membrane is usually manufactured in a flexible way from a plastic sheet on an embossing roller used to shape the studs in a continuous process, cut to the desired length and rolled up for storage and transport. To protect the walls of buildings, in particular at the underground level, the studded membrane is attached to the wall to be protected.
From DE 31 27 265, a studded membrane is known having studs with planar end faces formed on either side of a central plane. The reverse side studs provide a deeply indented surface and serve to ventilate an air-gap and space respectively between the surface of the wall to be protected and the studded membrane. The stud structure provides high stress resistance of the studded membrane when it absorbs soil pressures. A relatively large ventilation space is created on the reverse side of the studded membrane. The stud pitch is wide, and the end faces of the studs, which lie flat against the wall, are relatively small. This is why the load transferring proportion of the reverse-side studs on the overall surface of the reverse side of the studded membrane is only 5% with commercially available studded membranes. This results in a surface pressure between each stud and the wall of about 400 kN/m2 with a soil pressure of 20 kN/m2, for example.
In the course of energy saving measures, more and more so-called perimeter insulations are mounted on the surface of the exterior wall of the basement or the foundations of a building with new structures or refurbishments in the area of the foundations. Usually foamed plastics are used which, because of their cell structure, may be integrated in a damp environment. If high soil pressures are to be absorbed by the studded membrane and transferred to the insulation of the wall, this may lead to a collapse of the cell structure of the insulating material, if the soil pressure is only transferred via the small surface percentage taken up by the end-faces of the studs. This results in an indentation of the studs into the insulating material so that the studded membrane loses its ventilating function. Since the soil pressure gets higher as the depth increases, a total loss of the hollow space between the insulation and the studded membrane may result, in particular at the foot of the wall.
Moreover, there is a risk that the raised, reverse-side studs of the studded membrane prevent the studded membrane from sliding on the insulation board or the surface of the insulation without considerable frictional resistance when the soil settles.
When dampness penetrates into the space between the reverse side of the studded membrane and the wall to be protected, there is a risk with conventional studded membranes, irrespective of whether the studded membrane has been formed with unilaterally or bilaterally formed studs, that water will accumulate between the studded membrane and the wall.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to prevent water accumulation between the studded membrane and the outer surface of a building or an insulation on a building. Also, the risk of damaging the insulation or a seal of the wall to be protected is to be prevented when the soil settles.